5 Steps to A Grounded Yoga Practice
If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard someone say they ‘can’t do’ Yoga due to it being ‘too slow’, or ‘too quiet’ or they simply ‘don’t have’ the concentration required to remain comfortably present for the practice, then I’d be pretty frickin’ rich. And believe me, I understand where these people are coming from. Me, once ‘queen of Muay Thai’ (Thai Boxing) who loved nothing more than smashing pads to music that shook the roof my. Even though I loved my Yoga practice, there was once a time where I too would struggle to remain present in class. I would sometimes find myself walking away from my mat before I was even aware of what I doing during my allocated time for self-practice. This was particularly the case after someone close to me passed away. I’d settle on my mat, begin my practice and before I knew it, I’d be walking off again. My mind nor body wanted to be there, I felt an agitation that worsened the more I tried to resist it. It wasn’t long before I just stopped turning up for my practice all together, I’d hit the gym and continue to enjoy Muay Thai but at that time Yoga was ‘too still’ and ‘too quiet’ for me as well.
To truly experience the wonders of Yoga (and life for that matter), it is necessary for us to be present both mentally and physically. When we are not present in Yoga, we find ourselves in a state of resistance. Resisting the internal chatter of the mind, or using it as an escape from the physical sensations we experience during our Yoga practice.
I see students battle it out with themselves to finish the class, their fingers tapping the floor in Childs pose, their eyes examining the room in Warrior, they fling themselves around, always anticipating the next position. It’s uncomfortable to watch at times. I was in a class just last night and before the teacher had even guided us to Svasana, I could hear students rolling their mats up to leave - all to avoid those few minutes of stillness. It’s no wonder burn-out is an epidemic! Even when we’ve made the time to be present and still we find a way to resist it.
It’s no surprise. Modern-day living is hugely over stimulating. Our poor minds are constantly turned on. When we’re not stimulating it externally, it’ll stimulate itself internally with incessant chatter, jumping from subject to subject offering its warped judgements and opinions on anything it can set itself to, narrating everything we do. It’s no wonder we choose to loose ourselves in high intensity training, Netflix and social media. In fact there was a time when I couldn’t even concentrate enough to watch Netflix, so I’d double up and scroll through my phone as well.
If this resonates with you at all, then I’m here to tell you that fear not! There is light at the end of the tunnel and the following 5 steps are here to guide you to it.
Inner peace is vital for our quality of life, once that place of inner quiet has been established it’ll be yours to tap in and out of as you please. The steps below have not only brought me back to my practice, but to myself as well. I hope they can help do the same for you too.
Non attachment
Loose any expectations of how you’d like your practice to go. Some days you will feel bloated, inflexible and your mind will be doing cartwheels. This is OK. You are just being human. Learn to find appreciation for the lessons here. Rather than become attached to not feeling good, find one thing you can be grateful for in your practice and focus your attention there.
Start small
Is there anything better than an unrealistic goal? We psych ourselves up that tomorrow is a new beginning, and get lost in the dopamine hit that accompanies our plans for all we’re going to do right. An hours practice? 90 minutes maybe? The possibilities are endless! * steps onto mat* aaaand… 15 minutes later *steps off of mat*. Instead, try 10 minutes of mindful movement ‘my goal is to remain present for the whole 10 minutes’ and gradually build from there.
Give up the fight
What if you just allowed your mind to do what it’s doing, and continue with focusing on what you’re here for? Stop resisting and instead accept that this is your experience for today day. Growth happens in challenging circumstances, perhaps you’ll benefit more than you think.
Feel your way through
Your practice will become a lot more interesting when you take an interest in it. Feel how it feels to be in your body, use your strength to transition through the poses rather than momentum and tune into the detailed feedback you receive. Stay present to the sensations that you experience as you move.
Keep breathing
Taking deep breaths not only help to relax you, but help to keep you present too. Notice that breathing with awareness, further connects you to the physical sensations in your body, as well as the tools in which to manage them.